1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a puncture needle assembly for providing access to arterial and venous blood vessels.
2. Description of the Background Art
An important aspect of angiography and vascular studies in access to the circulatory system, that is, to blood vessels such as arteries and veins. In such studies, access to the circulation typically involves insertion of a hollow needle into a groin artery, although the needle sometimes is inserted in a blood vessel in the arm.
There have been problems with accurate insertion of previously known puncture needles into arteries of the groin or in the arm because of the awkward positioning required. When a needle is inserted into the blood vessel, the desired procedure is to puncture the front wall of the blood vessel and to stop the needle with the tip of the needle within the blood vessel itself without puncturing the back wall of the blood vessel. Proper positioning of the tip of the needle is determined by blood passing from the artery through the needle and out the back end of the needle. However, previously known puncture needles for accessing blood vessels for angiography and vascular studies frequently must be gripped with the thumb and two fingers. This usually requires that the back end of the needle be covered or concealed by the hand, due to the awakwardness of positioning previously known needles in a blood vessel in the groin area or in an arm. Accordingly, a determination of the proper positioning of the tip of the needle is difficult with prior art puncture needles due to the back end of the needle being covered by the hand.
There remains a need in the art for a puncture needle assembly for gaining access to blood vessels in the groin and the arm during angiography and vascular studies, that does not possess the disadvantages of prior art needles used for such purposes.